Animal sanctuary near Boston to re-open, but is ‘not out of the woods just yet’

The Ark Wildlife Park and Exotic Animal Sanctuary, in Stickney, will emerge from the Covid-19 lockdown on Saturday, July 4.

Since it closed its doors to the public in March, the sanctuary has been run solely by owners Jamie and Michelle Mintram, along with their two children, Josh and Chloe, after all staff had to be furloughed to save funds. It was ‘saved’, it says, by generous donations from individuals and businesses.

While the re-opening is a positive step, the future remains uncertain for the Ark. It estimates it has lost £100,000 in potential funds during lockdown, which, it says, will make the rest of the year a ‘massive struggle’ – especially as it expects increased demand for its services as a rescue organisation for exotic animals (it dealt with a number of cases even during lockdown).

Jamie said: “We’re pleased to have weathered the lockdown, but like many across the UK we and the animals aren’t out of the woods just yet, I think the rest of 2020 will be a real struggle, we just hope now the lockdown is easing we will get enough visitors to keep things running for the rest of the year and we can keep answering the rescue calls.”

A number of safety measures are being implemented at the site for the re-opening, including a pre-booked ticket system to control visitor numbers, a one-way system, and extra cleaning in public areas.

Alongside these, as a ‘thank you’ for their efforts during the pandemic, it is offering free entry to NHS staff for the rest of the year.